The Costs of Gun Violence is Visually Explored By Morehouse School of Medicine

Using an Infographic the School Examines the Financial & Societal Tolls in the United States.

In a ground-breaking infographic presentation, Morehouse School of Medicine(MSM) explores the financial and societal tolls of gun violence in the United States, as well as the Atlanta area.

"I see the physical effects every day in the operating room," says Omar Danner, M.D., FACS, associate professor and director of trauma, critical care and advanced laparoscopy for MSM at Grady Memorial Hospital.

"Of the total number of patients admitted to the trauma center (2,859), the majority were male (89%), African American (80%), and 20-39 years old (61%). The breakdown of VRI patients by the type of VRI shows that the majority (55%) were admitted to the center because of gunshot wounds followed by assaults (33%)."

Danner adds, "Now that we have identified the problem, the solution just can't be patching up young people to return them to violence in their communities. We hope that sharing these numbers visually will incite changes."

MSM faculty, staff and students continue work to identify health disparities in communities around the world, through work like this. The school's mission driven work is leading the creation and advancement of health equity.

About Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)

Founded in 1975, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is among the nation's leading educators of primary care physicians, biomedical scientists and public health professionals. In 2011, MSM was recognized by Annals of Internal Medicine as the nation's No. 1 medical school in fulfilling a social mission. MSM faculty and alumni are noted for excellence in teaching, research and public policy, as well as exceptional patient care.

Morehouse School of Medicine is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctoral and master's degrees. To learn more about programs and donate today, please visit www.msm.edu or call 404-752-1500.

Crime and violence have not only posed a serious threat to the security of Jamaicans, with an average of 28 murders per week and 672 killings up to June 17 this year, but taxpayers are paying a high price for gun conflicts. The Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) alone is spending an estimated $400,000 a day to treat victims of gunshot wounds.

In a presentation that left members of a select committee of Parliament stunned, Dr Ann Jackson-Gibson, an anaesthetist at the KPH, revealed yesterday that it has cost the country almost $80 million to treat victims of gun violence at the KPH since the start of the year.

At the same time, Dr Elizabeth Ward who, along with Jackson-Gibson, made a joint submission to the special select committee of Parliament examining the Law Reform Zones of Special Operations legislation, said that in 2014, it cost taxpayers $3.68 billion to provide direct medical care to victims of violence at 22 hospitals across Jamaica.

Ward said that the cost of social-intervention programmes in communities dubbed hotspots, which could significantly reduce the burden on hospitals, was $1.3 billion. "Where are we spending our money?" she asked.

Ward said that when effective community interventions were being funded in the past, non-governmental organisations were able to reduce by 50 per cent the number of gunshot wounds seen at the KPH.

The Zones of Special Operations bill sets out social-intervention measures to rebuild crime-plagued communities. This would take effect after the prime minister declares an area a zone for special operations, which would allow the security forces to search places, vehicles, or persons within specific locations without a warrant.

Jackson-Gibson pointed out that between January and June 20 this year, 28 persons who received gunshot wounds were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the KPH. Of the 28 persons, four died after being treated for between 20 and 25 days in the ICU.

She told the committee that based on available data, the average gunshot victim stays in the ICU for seven days.

Gunshot victims cost KPH $80 million since the start of the year

Dr Ann Jackson-Gibson painted a stark picture of patients who have been waiting to have elective surgery but have had to give way to emergencies occasioned by violent incidents.

"When you extrapolate that to the number of admissions, you are talking about almost 200 ICU admission days. When medical care such as room and board, salaries, ventilators, among other pieces of equipment, is itemised, it is looking more like $400,000 per day," Jackson-Gibson said.

"When you multiply that, you are talking about the hospital spending and taking resources out of the system to the tune of $80 million from the start of the year," the medical practitioner noted, adding that this was just KPH alone, with the medical costs incurred as a result of gunshot wounds at other hospitals not taken into account. CONTINUESPublished:Thursday | June 22, 2017